Tips for Improving Spinal Health
As we incorporate exercise and wellness into our everyday lives, we think about keeping our muscles, joints, and brains healthy and active. It's not often that we consider our spine needing the same level of care! Just like our joints, our spinal health is a vital contributor to our overall health and wellness. The spine is at the core of chiropractic medicine and Dr. Justin Lewis understands how important it is to care for the spine like any other area of the body. At Get Adjusted Chiropractic, it's important that our team is able to share tips and lifestyle adjustments to help your chiropractic care extend beyond just your appointment with Dr. Lewis.
The Effect of Posture on Spinal Health
Good posture is critical to protecting your spine from unnecessary chronic pain. It is incredibly easy to fall back into your negative posture, especially if your day is primarily spent behind a desk or at a computer. Proper posture prevents your body from additional strain, wear, and tear. This removes that excess pressure on your spine, to avoid any long term pain. "People say when they get older that they shrink… well, they do!" explains Dr. Justin Lewis. "When you hunch day in and day out for years, you gradually compress the discs in your spine. These discs are filled with fluid and the more pressure you put on them, the more the discs will dehydrate and 'shrink.'"
As these discs continue to flatten, you will continue to lose height. This excessive amount of pressure on the spine will cause long term pain and permanent damage. However, getting shorter as you age is concerning enough — bad posture can also cause complete spinal dysfunction. When you have proper posture, you can feel this correct alignment throughout your spine. If you were to perform your everyday activities with poor body alignment or untreated spinal injuries, you could end up with permanent spinal misalignment and muscle spasms.
Text Neck will likely negatively affect spinal health, specifically for young people. Text Neck is a new chiropractic term that explains neck pain sustained extended use of smartphones. With the increased use of handheld technology, the upper spine and neck area remain curved for longer periods of time. The main concern with prolonged improper posture is that we will all become more comfortable in the Text Neck position, leading to quicker onset of neck pain and spinal dysfunction.
Keeping a Healthy Spine
It's common knowledge that chiropractic care is key for general back pain and overall back health. The root of this approach — specifically chiropractic adjustments — is to keep your spine in alignment with the rest of your body to keep it as healthy as possible. "A chiropractor's main role, at the heart of chiropractic care, is to understand your medical history and perform the actual chiropractic adjustment," states Dr. Justin Lewis. "When a chiropractor adjusts someone, they are introducing extra range of motion into a joint to gap. This increases joint space and mobility while allowing the disc to increase its fluid intake."
An adjustment introduces more mobility throughout the spine. When the spine has the ability to move more freely, positive posture is easier to practice and maintain over time.
"If joints aren't moving properly, it's difficult for a person to correct their posture," says Dr. Justin Lewis. "I always ask my patients to sit up straight and hold this position. Most people can't! A person holding proper seated posture for more than one minute without feeling discomfort and an urge to shift positions is rare. This is one of the first signs in noticing that you need to be adjusted and re-aligned."
Along with Chiropractic care, our Acupuncturist Dr. Jae Lee specializes in musculoskeletal issues. Remedies including cupping, dry needling, and electrical acupuncture can help stimulate the muscles of the spine, allowing the body to adapt to its newer, more corrective spinal posture.
Prevent long term pain with Get Adjusted Chiropractic! Book an appointment online today or call our office at 845-809-8300 to schedule a visit with Dr. Justin Lewis.
